Soldier To Receive Medal Of Honor For Incredible Bravery After His Afghan Outpost Was Overrun

An American soldier will be awarded the
Medal of Honor for his actions while defending a remote
outpost in Afghanistan overrun by hundreds of Taliban fighters,
Stars & Stripes reports.

Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, 33, will be the fifth living recipient of
the nation's highest award, and the second for the 2009 Battle of
Kamdesh.

“I don’t think it’s for me,” he
told The Spokesman-Review. “It’s for everybody in the unit
who sacrificed and held their own, the soldiers that gave their
lives for us to be here today. They and their families
deserve it.”

On Oct. 3, 2009, Carter was one of 54 members of B Troop, 3rd
Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment defending Combat Outpost Keating
in Nuristan Province. Shortly before 6 a.m., the remote base was
rocked with blistering enemy machine gun and rocket fire. More
than 400 fighters were attempting to overrun the base.

Then-Specialist Carter sprinted across open ground to join his
fellow soldiers on the perimeter, then ran back again to gather
up necessary supplies despite withering enemy fire. Later, Carter
noticed his fellow soldier Specialist Stephan L. Mace was
wounded.

While Larson
provided cover fire from within a nearby Humvee, Carter stanched
Mace’s bleeding and placed a tourniquet on his shattered
leg.

He realized he couldn’t carry Mace while he had his weapon. He
returned to the Humvee and told Larson his plan. Larson got out
of the Humvee and provided cover fire while Carter returned to
Mace, picked him up and carried him through the hail of bullets
back to the Humvee, and went back to firing.

During the 12-hour long battle, Carter continued to give medical
aid to Mace, engage the enemy, and communicate with his fellow
soldiers to retake the base. According to the Army's
official narrative of the battle, "Carter’s remarkable
acts of heroism and skill, which were vital to the defense of COP
Keating, exemplify what it means to be an American hero."

Carter first
joined the military in 1998, enlisting in the Marine Corps
and serving until 2002. After some time attending college and
traveling, he enlisted in the Army in 2008, and continues to
serve on active duty.

He joins fellow
Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha as the second recipient of the
Medal of Honor for the battle at COP Keating. President Obama
will present him with the award during a ceremony at the White
House on Aug. 26.